Revelation emerges as Victor Orta tried to sign Man Utd man for Leeds United | OneFootball

The former Elland Road director was able to sign one of his transfer targets for his new club

Victor Orta wanted to sign Mateo Mejia from Manchester United during his time as Director of Football at Leeds United.

That's according to a report from Spanish outlet ABC, via Sport Witness, who say that it was his interest in the winger from his time at Elland Road, that prompted him to sign the winger for Sevilla.

Orta spent six years working in his role at Leeds, joining in May 2017 following a spell at Middlesbrough, before leaving in 2023 shortly before the club's relegation from the Premier League.

Following his departure from Elland Road, the 45-year-old took on a similar role with Sevilla in La Liga, where he continues to oversee transfers.

Now it seems as though at least one of his signings for the Spanish club, was inspired by his time with the Whites.

Victor Orta wanted Man Utd youngster at Leeds

Having come through the youth ranks with Manchester United, Mateo Mejia left the Red Devils in January this year, without making a senior appearance for the club.

That move saw the Colombian join Sevila for, and he has initially linked up with their second-team in the Spanish lower leagues.

After scoring seven goals and providing two assists for the B-team, the 21-year-old recently made his debut for the club's first-team as a substitute in a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao last time out.

In the wake of that, the latest reports have featured an insight into the move that took Mejia to Sevilla at the start of 2024.

According to that update, Orta was heavily involved in the deal to bring Mejia to the La Liga side, after previously taking an interest in him as a potential target for Leeds.

It is thought that he had regularly monitored the winger when he was overseeing business at Elland Road, although it remains to be seen why he was unable to get a deal over the line in Yorkshire.

Leeds are currently fifth in the Championship with 15 points from eight games, ahead of their trip to the Stadium of Light to face league leaders Sunderland on Friday night.

For their part, Sevilla sit 13th in the La Liga table, with nine points from their eight league games since the start of the campaign.

Mejia miss may be cause for frustration at Elland Road

There may well be some at Leeds who will be disappointed to see that they previously missed out on the chance to sign Mejia from Manchester United.

Admittedly, with the attacker having so far been playing mostly for Sevilla's second-team, he may not have been one targeted for a first-team place, when Orta was watching him for the Whites.

However, the fact he is now in and around the club's first-team in La Liga, does seem to highlight the progress he has made and quality he has shown.

As a result, there is a chance he would have been able to make an impact in the Championship for the Whites as they pursue promotion this season.

With that in mind, this may be an area where those connected with Leeds may wonder if they missed out on something, during the Victor Orta era.